In order to re-establish physical health we need to resolve illness at its source - and the source may not be in the physical body but in other deep levels which can include the bioenergetic system and the non-physical bodies.

According to Dr. Waldo Vieira, president of the International Institute of Projectiology and Conscientiology (IIPC), a non-profit institution of research and education based in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the out-of-body phenomenon can yield significant health benefits for those who can exercise sufficient control over the phenomenon and their own bioenergetic system.

The non-physical body, especially when it is projected outside the physical body, serves as a powerful condenser of bioenergy (chi, prana, life force). This energy of life is an essential source of nutrition for the physical body. The majority of the population leads energetically deficient lives, but those who can develop their ability to work with bioenergy and have out-of-body experiences (OBEs) can realize significant health benefits.

Traditional medicine treats only the physical body, but the cause of many illnesses is energetic in nature. An individual's energetic system may become deficient and blocked for a number of reasons, but the end result is that sufficient blockage can lead to physical dysfunction. The individual, when able to administrate his or her own bioenergies, can more capably re-establish and maintain the integrity of his or her own biological system. The use of bioenergytechniques can have profound effects on the individual's physical well being and can yield even greater results when used outside the body.

We can heal ourselves and others, and be healed through the use of energy and even counseling while outside of the body, where we can treat dysfunctions originating in the energies and non-physical bodies. We can also gain a broader perspective and see problems with enhanced awareness and objectivity - many times allowing us to resolve deep issues on our own.

This use of the out-of-body experience can have very practical benefits for us in the here and now. For example, we can, while projected, transmit energy to our own physical body or to the physical and/or non-physical body of another, with sometimes dramatic results. The OBE can also be used as an adjunct to traditional psychological counseling. Therapists can conduct counseling sessions in addition to working with energy - all in concert with the extraphysical support teams (guides) of both practitioner and patient.

The OBE can also address problems related to the death process. The research in this field shows that the majority of individuals pass through only the first or biological death due to their ignorance of the death process as well as attachment to physical life. This accounts for the observation that the majority of the non-physical population remains "earth-bound" after bodily death. These imbalanced non-physical beings create more interference in our life than we imagine with their thoughts, emotions, energies and even diseased states. A strong mental hygiene, paranormal sensitivity and bioenergetic capacity help one to maintain the integrity of his or her own thought and energy patterns, thus minimizing this negative influence. Beyond this, we can assist these ill beings - the majority of the extraphysical population, which numbers approximately 6 times the planetary population - to understand and resolve their situation through energy work and counseling outside of the body.

Various positive results have been reported by participants of the courses offered by IIPC. Some mention that they awaken more revitalized after sleeping for fewer hours than they normally do. Many participants report that they have a more positive outlook on life, feeling more confident than ever before. Others report experiencing an enhanced intellectual capacity. Often, individuals begin to experience spontaneous recall of past lives in the course of this work. In some cases, remission of serious physical conditions have been realized.

We are not in this world to suffer but, rather, to experience the satisfaction of learning and growth. The out-of-body phenomenon, when used capably, can not only improve our physical health, but can give us a panoramic understanding of physical life through first-hand experience, and show us that we are more than the physical body.

Kevin de La Tour is the PR Director of IIPC's New York office and a faculty member of the IIPC.